Six Things You Didn’t Know About the Child’s Play Franchise

Posted by Hannah Bae

4 years ago

Perhaps the most unlikely of slasher film killers, Chucky from Child’s Play proves that you don’t need to be big to be scary. You probably know that the fiendish doll killer is voiced by oscar nominated actor Brad Dourif. But you might have missed a few more obscure details about the cult favorite series. Here are six lesser-known facts about the Child’s Play franchise…

1. Chucky’s name comes from three real life killers
While the voodoo-practicing, serial-killing villain of the Child’s Play franchise is an original creation, Chucky’s real name – Charles Lee Ray – is a combination of three infamous real-life villains: Charles Manson, who was responsible for conspiring seven murders; Lee Harvey Oswald, the sniper who shot John F. Kennedy; and James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King.

2. Chucky’s childhood is revealed in the Child’s Play 2 novel
Though Chucky’s backstory is fleshed out more with each film, details about his childhood aren’t found on the screen, but in the novelization of the screenplay. The novel, written by Matthew J. Costello and released after the second movie, delves into Chucky’s childhood. The story tells of Chucky’s absent father and abusive mother. Chucky was teased by classmates about his mother and later went on to strangle her. The novel was popular enough to elicit a second novelization of Child’s Play 3.

3. Tiffany’s bathtub death was intended for Maggie in Child’s Play
In the commentary for Bride of Chucky, writer Don Mancini reveals that Tiffany’s bathtub electrocution was originally scripted for the first installment of the Chucky franchise. Maggie Peterson, the babysitter, ended up being bludgeoned and falling out a window. However the plan for her original death didn’t go to waste and was resurrected for the reboot of the franchise.

4. Freddy Krueger’s razor glove appears in Bride of ChuckyThe opening scene at the Lockport police evidence depository boasts some serious Easter eggs for slasher film fans. These include Freddy Krueger’s razor tipped glove from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Michael Myers’ mask from the Halloween franchise, Jason Voorhees’ hockey-mask from the Friday the 13th films and Leatherface’s chainsaw from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Ronny Yu, the director of Bride of Chucky, revived two other horror franchises when he directed Freddy vs. Jason.

5. Special disclaimers appeared on ads for Seed of Chucky
The television spots for Seed of Chucky were required to display the odd disclaimer: “Britney Spears Does Not Appear in This Movie.” Spears’ management worried that the scene which featured a Brittany lookalike would convince audiences that she starred in the film, so they required the advertisements to display the disclaimer.

6. In the original trilogy, Chucky doesn’t make it through a film with both handsBefore he dies, Chucky tends to lose his right hand. Andy’s mother shoots his hand off with a gun at the end of Child’s Play. During the second film, Chucky rips his own hand off while escaping, later replacing the limb with an appropriate prosthetic: a knife. Finally in the third installment, Andy gets his chance to chop the hand off. This tradition is honored in the trilogy’s sequels. In Seed of Chucky, the killer doll’s own progeny, Glenn, hacks Chucky’s hand off with an ax. And while Chucky dies multi-dexterous in Bride of Chucky, at the start of the film Tiffany replaces the missing limb when repairing the damaged doll.

Check out the Child’s Play franchise during AMC FearFest. Click here for the times.